Nowicki was done. He lunged forward to block, but Duncan feigned a move. Nowicki lunged at air, forced to foul Duncan as he landed, sending him to the free-throw line.
Duncan sank the first free throw, then the second.
A 9:2 start, and the home Mavericks fans weren't happy. Where was the promised Mavericks-Spurs showdown?
Turning, Nash used Finley's screen, drove, and attempted a pass back to Finley. He Xi Meng anticipated it, stealing the ball. He Xi Meng spun to start a fast break, but Nash immediately pressed him, nearly stealing it back. Fortunately, He Xi Meng used his body to shield the ball and regain control. The fast break opportunity was lost, so they settled into a half-court offense.
On this possession, He Xi Meng passed the ball to Duncan, wanting him to post up Nowicki. But Duncan drove too deep into the post, immediately getting caught in a double-team by Nowicki and Bradley.
Duncan could be reckless sometimes, unaware of danger or fear. Bold due to his skill, he immediately executed a jab step and turnaround jumper in the Mavericks' double-team, attempting a floater!
Bradley had been waiting for Duncan's shot. He leaped, disrupting Duncan's rhythm. Using his height and long arms, he successfully altered Duncan's floater, effectively blocking it! It wasn't a clean block, at most just fingertip contact with the ball, shortening its trajectory!
But still, it was a block by Bradley on Duncan!
The home Mavericks fans immediately jumped to their feet, cheering!
But as their cheers began, they saw Duncan, after landing, dart forward. He beat Bradley to the basket, leaped, and slammed the ball that Bradley had blocked back into the hoop...
11:2!
"Damn! Another put-back..."
The Mavericks fans who had stood up cheering saw their smiles freeze, then turn into disbelieving groans as they clutched their heads.
The defensive effort of the German twins against Duncan was like paper... If Duncan played like this all game, the Mavericks would be in serious trouble. 138 Reading Network.
Duncan hadn't intended to play like this initially. That put-back was just a casual move, not meant to disrespect anyone.
However, Bradley's "accidental" block had spurred Duncan on. Duncan felt he had to give it his all.
Thus, in the ensuing game, Duncan repeatedly demanded the ball. He scored 12 points in the first quarter, 7 in the second, and 12 in the third... Unintentionally, Duncan had racked up 31 points and 14 rebounds in three quarters, completely overwhelming the Mavericks' interior.
73:57. The Spurs led the Mavericks by 16 points, dragging the game into garbage time.
In the fourth quarter, Popovich benched Duncan, preventing him from further dominating, concerned about his physical well-being.
David Robinson also sat out with Duncan.
He Xi Meng played four minutes in the fourth quarter, stabilizing the rhythm for the bench unit before also being substituted out.
In the end, 94:79. The Spurs easily defeated their opponent, winning this Mavericks-Spurs game and securing their fifth victory of the new season.
The Spurs then returned home to face challenges from the Grizzlies and the Jazz.
The current core of the Grizzlies were Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Mike Bibby, a 1996 draft pick and a 1998 draft pick, both very young. Logically, a team still mired in the lottery wouldn't pose a substantial threat to a championship-caliber team like the Spurs. However, the Spurs had a tradition of rising to meet strong opponents and faltering against weak ones, often gifting wins to lottery teams, leaving fans baffled.
In reality, this was closely linked to the Spurs' resting policy. Sometimes, Popovich would appear to field a full lineup, but the core players wouldn't go all out. Instead, they would use these games as adjustments, finding their rhythm through play. It was a strategy. Low-key was often the best camouflage.
He Xi Meng used to not understand the Spurs' inconsistent performance until he joined the Spurs' coaching staff and finally grasped these "secrets that cannot be spoken."
Now, Popovich intended to employ the same tactic, but he hadn't anticipated that the bench unit He Xi Meng had helped assemble for the Spurs was also formidable.
With the Spurs' core trio instructed by Popovich to exert only fifty percent effort, the bench trio of Manu Ginobili, Brad Miller, and Tyronn Lue were not restricted by their coach. Popovich wanted them to play to their fullest, giving him a chance to evaluate their performance. The result was that the trio demolished the Grizzlies...
The Spurs' starting lineup lost to the Grizzlies by 5 points, but the bench unit outscored them by 18 points!
In the end, 78:91. The Grizzlies fell in San Antonio. But until they left San Antonio, they couldn't comprehend how they had lost. They had played exceptionally well! They had successfully contained the twin towers and limited He Xi Meng's three-point attempts... Yet, they had still lost? And by a significant margin? Where could they even begin to make sense of it?
Following the Grizzlies, the Washington Wizards came to San Antonio!
Michael Jordan assembled what he believed to be a stellar starting lineup for the Wizards: center Jahidi White, power forward Juwan Howard, small forward Mitch Richmond, shooting guard Felipe López, and point guard Barry Strickland.
The result was that this lineup was dismantled in San Antonio!
Starting center Jahidi White fouled out after only 13 minutes. Power forward Juwan Howard managed to play 40 minutes, but shot a dismal 4-of-14 from the field for only 9 points and 10 rebounds, while committing 5 turnovers and 5 fouls...
After the Wizards' starting lineup was overwhelmed by the twin towers, Popovich assumed the Wizards' bench would also collapse. Like the previous game against the Warriors, it would become a playground for Ginobili and others to roam freely. However, that wasn't the case!
Second-year rookie Richard Hamilton from the Wizards' bench heroically stepped up, engaging in a back-and-forth scoring battle with Ginobili and the others!
Ginobili's "demon knife" tendencies began to show. Perhaps due to his outstanding performance in the previous game, he made a series of ill-advised drives and turnovers in this game, causing Popovich to cover his face at the sidelines.
As the soul of the bench unit, Ginobili's subpar performance directly impacted Brad Miller and Tyronn Lue's play.
Therefore, in He Xi Meng's view, the rotation minutes in this game were equivalent to Hamilton playing a one-on-three, holding his own against Ginobili, Brad Miller, and Tyronn Lue, displaying the demeanor of a seasoned general!